Snapshots
by Taste the GoM
Summary: A collection of un-related drabbles from Aokiseweek 2014. Cross-posting from tumblr.
1. Day 1 - Last

"Chug! Chug! Chug!"

Voices chanted around him as he gulped down whatever concoction was given him. Aomine wasn't much of a liquor fan, but tonight was one of those occasions that he'd indulge. Drunken cheers erupted around him as he slammed his empty glass on the table in front of him. Pats on the back were received and calls for shots and more rounds filtered through the air.

The group around him dispersed, allowing Aomine a few moments to breathe and take in his surroundings. They were in a rented out room with a private bar on one side—tables scattered about with empty glasses, bottles, and plates covering them. The people that filled the room were friends, co-workers and some that he was acquainted but not too familiar with.

Aomine took a seat at a far off table detached from the party, watching everyone around him. His gaze flitted over towards a point in the room where his so called hosts were congregated. He was slightly concerned if they would be okay the following day. The party was meant for him but his friends were obviously enjoying it more.

Out of his peripheral Aomine noticed a figure approaching him. A bottle was placed in front of him as a flirtatious voice asked "Mind if you buy you a drink?"

Aomine glanced up a smirk growing on his face. He picked up the bottle and brought it to his lips muttering "It's an open bar, " before taking a swig.

The figure, a tall blond man took a seat next to him, chuckling. "I suppose it is," he replied taking a sip of his own drink. He leaned in close, body pressed up against Aomines'.

"Maybe we should ditch and go someplace else then."

Blue eyes locked with amber—Aomine honestly felt that he could stare into those eyes for a lifetime. Underneath the mischief was something much more meaningful; something warmer that made Aomine's expression soften in response.

"Y'know I'm highly tempted," he finally responded. Placing his drink on the table, Aomine brought a hand up to brush a few strands of hair out of the other male's eyes. "But I must be upfront with you. The truth is I'm getting married tomorrow."

Aomine ran his hand down the man's face, along his neck—trailing down from his shoulder to link his fingers with the other male's.

"Ehhh, must be one lucky one guy." The blond replied laying his head on Aomine's shoulder, nuzzling his neck. He let out a sigh of contentment.

Aomine hummed in agreement. "He sure is. But who wouldn't with a catch like me."

Small chuckles turned into a full blown laughing fit. The blond straightened up, throwing his head back. "Aominecchi really is too much sometimes." Kise's face was flushed, either from the laughter or the alcohol he had consumed. Aomine bet it was a combination from both.

"This from the guy trying to pick up a one night stand the night before our wedding." Kise let out a small laugh, standing up from his chair to sit across Aomine's lap.

"Isn't that what bachelor parties are for? One last hurrah before getting tied down." Kise wrapped his arms around Aomine's neck. He nuzzled a tan ear, placing soft kisses along Aomine's jaw.

The feeling of soft lips pressing firmly against his own filled Aomine with a sudden heat. He wasted no time pulling Kise tightly against him while deepening the kiss. The vibration from Kise's heart beating, and the moans vibrating against his lips drove Aomine crazy.

They broke away for air, panting harshly. Aomine was about to pull him back for more but was interrupted by a loud voice.

"Oi Ahomine, save it for the honeymoon."

A growl tore its way out of Aomine's throat. He snapped his head in the direction of the intruder, eyes fixed in a glare. "Mind your own business Bakagami."

Kagami ignored him, dropping down in a seat across the table. "What's the point in throwing you both a joint bachelor party if you're gonna spend it making out in some corner."

Aomine huffed, "What's the point in making you my best man if you're gonna cock block me."

Kise was sent into a fit of laughter as the two started squabbling back and forth. He leaned comfortably against Aomine's chest while watching the two. No matter how much they denied it, they really were a lot alike. Kise was happy that they managed to become such good friends over the years.

"Oi Kise, it's not too late y'know. If you decide to leave this idiot at the altar, I'm sure no one would blame you."

Normally Kise would jump at any chance to help Kagami tease his fiancée, but with those words he felt Aomine tense up, and his arms tightened around him. Kise felt some relief from this—that he wasn't the only one feeling nervous.

"As if I could," Kise laughed. "As long as we've been together, a wedding is merely a formality at this point." Feeling Aomine relax, made Kise feel equally so. True this was their last night of being simply a couple. But in no way was it their last night of freedom—they had never truly been free since the day they met each other.


	2. Day 2 - Graduation

Kise found himself fidgeting in his seat, either from the wait or in excitement. He was in the audience sitting by himself, hands fiddling with the paper program to keep himself busy. He just couldn't wait for it to be over with so that could spend some quality time with his boyfriend. He had flew in a couple of days ago to see Aomine graduate.

After high school Aomine left to the States to play College ball, in hopes of getting drafted to the NBA. Unlike the attitude he had in his middle and high school days, Aomine put in a lot of effort to adapt his style to playing in America. His work effort didn't go unnoticed, and was now in mid-preparation for joining a professional team.

However, it kept Aomine incredibly busy before the actual graduation ceremony. Soon he would have a break and they would finally be able to spend some private time together. It had been so long since they had seen each other, they had a lot of missed time to catch up on, as well as a lot to discuss about where they were headed.

Long distance relationships were tough, they knew this first hand. But when they added what was to be a more demanding schedule, and closer scrutiny...Kise had his doubts.

Kise was broken out of his thoughts by the sound of applause. The last speaker had finished and they were preparing for the Graduates to walk across the stage. Kise sat up straight in his chair and readied his camera. He made sure to pay extra attention as Aomine would be one of the first to walk. When Aomine's name was called and he started walking across the stage, Kise felt an overwhelming sense of pride swell within him.

Through all the uncertainty, the late night chats and struggles, Kise did everything he could to help his boyfriend reach this point. It made Kise want to cry.

On his way back to his seat, Aomine happened to look up at where he was sitting. Kise waved and Aomine nodded his head with a small smile on his face. After the ceremony the Graduates marched out of the room. Once they were gone the guests were released, and Kise ran outside as quickly as he could.

He searched amongst the crowd and a sea of black and gold to find the one that belonged to him. He pulled out his cell phone with the intent to call his boyfriend when he felt a tug on his arm and was pulled into a solid chest. He lifted his head up to look behind him.

"Hey You."

Aomine turned Kise around resting his hands on his waist as Kise encircled his arms around Aomine's neck. "Hey Yourself."

Kise couldn't contain his excitement as he leaned into his boyfriends hold. "Congrats." he spoke into Aomine's ear. "I'm so proud of you."

Aomine slid his hands from Kise's waist and up to his back—pulling him in even tighter. Once he let go, Aomine took him by the hand and they began heading off. On the way they passed by some of Aomine's teammates, friends, and professors. Once they reached Aomine's car he threw off his robe, throwing it carelessly in the back.

Kise was about to scold him for needing to take better care of his things, but Aomine suddenly pulled him into a kiss. "I've been wanting to do that all day," he laughed, brushing a piece of hair out of Kise's face. He squeezed Kise's hand once, "C'mon lets go."

After a quick lunch Kise requested that they go to a nearby court for a quick game of one-on-one.

He was utterly defeated of course. "As expected of Mr. Pro," Kise teased. He lay panting on the ground with Aomine laying next to him.

"It feels so surreal, I can't believe I made it." Kise smiled at him. "There were never any doubts in my mind that you couldn't succeed."

Aomine stared at him for a moment, then he rolled over pinning him to the ground. "I love you Kise, you know that right." He said with utter conviction. "I couldn't have done this without you. I need you to remember that. No matter what happens to us or what happens in the future."

Kise felt his face heating up and his chest tightening.

"When you're done modeling and going through school, I'll be there for you like you were for me." Aomine linked his hands with Kise, bringing his left hand up to kiss where a ring would eventually rest.

"And when you're done with that we will be together."

Kise leaned up grabbing Aomine by the face and pulling him into a fierce kiss. He couldn't wait to get started, couldn't wait to graduate. He couldn't wait to be finished with the being apart so that could start the rest of his life with this man.


	3. Day 3 - Learning

His hand was sweating and shaking, his breathing was off.

This was harder than he first thought.

'_I can do this. I can do this. On the count of three. One-two-three'_

He wasn't quite expecting the ringing in his ears, even with protective gear on. He slowly lowered his hand as his breathing begun to even out.

"That wasn't bad," he heard Aomine approach from behind. "Let me adjust you a bit."

One hand was placed on his while another secured itself around his wrist. A leg nudged between his own to get his legs to spread some more. "Now lift you arm a bit, and try to hold it steady."

"On my mark, Now."

Kise fired the gun again.

"Good. How'd that feel?"

Kise lowered his arm once more but he didn't say anything. Aomine squeezed his waist one time. "Come on let's take a break."

Kise wordlessly followed while he was pulled to a seat. Aomine sat down first pulling Kise down and pressing him to his side. He didn't let go of him, until the shaking in his body went away.

Aomine still remembered the day Kise asked to learn how to shoot. It happened after an incident with a stalker. Kise had just finished filming a TV special and was alone in his dressing room. As he was in the middle of getting changed the stalker appeared from his hiding spot, holding the model at knifepoint. His stalker would have kidnapped the blond had his manager not entered in time and called the police.

When he heard what had happened, it took all of Aomine's restraint, and some fellow officers, to not shoot the guy.

Kise wanted to learn himself—to learn self defense. Aomine was hesitant but agreed.

"What's wrong?" Aomine asked.

"I don't think I can do this" Kise said quietly.

Aomine let out a sigh of relief, "Honestly I don't want you too."

Kise looked at him in surprise. "The first time you use it on a person it changes you. I don't want you to have to know that feeling."

"I'm sorry Aominecchi, I just couldn't fathom being in that position again. I won't."

"I know baby. And you won't. There are other options. I can ask around, look into getting you into one of our self-defense class."

He threw an arm around Kise's shoulders and placed a kiss at his temple. "You can learn how to disarm a person and all that."

That brought a smile to Kise's face. "Hahaha yeah. Maybe if I do a good enough job I can be better than Aominecchi."

"Pfft. Yeah right blondie. You always gotta compete with me, ever since we've met"

Kise bumped his shoulder against Aomines'. "You should feel honored. If I hadn't met Aominecchi..." he trailed off. With a smile Kise leaned over and Kissed Aomine softly.

"What was that for?"

"Hmmm. For throwing that basketball at my head."

Aomine scoffed, throwing an arm around the blond's neck and messing up Kise's hair. "It was an accident jerk." Causing Kise to laugh.

Kise had learned a lot after that incident. He learned that there were things in life that excited him and learned what it meant to truly work at something. He learned how to be a good teammate, a good friend. Kise learned a lot over his basketball career thanks to Aomine, the one that started it all.

Most importantly, if it weren't for Aomine—he never would've learned how to truly love.


	4. Day 4 - Inspired by Song (Feel Good Drag

'_This was wrong. So very wrong_'

A long drawn out moan was pulled from Kise's mouth as his partner bit his neck a little harsher than he was expecting. He felt hot, mind numbing, and mouth going dry. His body moved on auto pilot, grasping and pulling at clothes, kissing and tasting skin wherever his mouth could reach. He felt so good, he wanted to feel that sensation all over.

"Daiki...need...now...please."

He felt more than heard the chuckle against his ear. "So impatient."

A whine left Kise's throat as Aomine pulled back to look him in the eyes.

"How long is he gone for this time."

'_Who?_' Kise thought, mind still foggy. _'Oh_'

Kise pulled away, straightening out his shirt and hair. Ignoring the tightness in his pants. He moved away from his door and plopped down on his couch—throwing his head back, closing his eyes.

"About a week," he finally answered.

He didn't receive a reply, not that he expected one. Whenever 'he' was brought up, it always put a damper on things. After about a minute he felt the cushions shift, indicating that Aomine took a seat next to him. He felt the coolness of a glass pressed against his skin. He opened his eyes to see Aomine balancing a bottle against his forehead, while he sipped from his own.

Kise gave a soft thanks, taking it in his hands and taking a swig. It wasn't unusual for the tanned male to make himself at home. They have been fooling around long enough to bypass hospitality norms.

Aomine watched as Kise seemed to get lost in his thoughts. He should've known to not bring up Kise's boyfriend. It was a touchy subject given the position his greed put Kise in. He needed to see if tonight was gonna be a quick fuck or if he could take his time teasing the blond first. He didn't mind either way, but it had been a while since their last hookup—he was more eager tonight than normal.

Aomine wished he had met Kise sooner. '_Then he would've been mine_.' And he wouldn't have to share. Placing his now empty bottle on the ground he cleared his head.

'_Whatever, I'm the one he's with tonight_' He turned Kise's head to face him, before crushing Kise's mouth against his own.

Kise forgot what first drew him to Aomine, but he knew why he stayed. He was an addiction. He couldn't get enough of those lips, those hands, that body. Aomine to him, was pure sin, and Kise wanted nothing more than to fall deeper and deeper into it.

"Do you want to head upstairs or..."

"I can't wait that long, just here please."

Time seemed to come at a standstill the moment their clothes started coming off. Aomine had him pinned to the couch and wouldn't let him move. Kise shuddered as Aomine kissed and bit him, while working his way down—going way too slow for Kise's liking.

By the time Aomine reached the stiffness between his legs, he pulled away, reaching to sort through his pants for something.

"Daiiikkkiii"

"Patience, Patience Ryouta." As he came back with condom and lube. He spread the substance over his fingers and slipped one finger inside of him. Slowly, one by one Aomine worked his fingers in and out of Kise. The slow pace that Aomine kept made him feel like bursting at any second.

He was so frustrated he knocked Aomine off the couch and climbed down, straddling his waist. He pinned his wrists to the floor though he had a feeling that Aomine wasn't planning on resisting. One look at his face, told Kise all he needed to know. Kise reached over and grabbed the condom off the couch. Tearing it open he rolled it over Aomine's hardened cock.

He gave Aomine a couple of strokes, ensuring that the condom wouldn't shift. Then he positioned himself and started sinking down in a continuous motion until his hips met Aomine's. Groaning from the feeling, Aomine grabbed Kise by the wait then they started to move.

They set a quick a rough pace, both knowing that this round wasn't gonna last too long. It was fast and sloppy, both taking what they wanted from the other. Harsh breathing and pants were drowned out from the sound of skin slapping against skin.

It wasn't much longer before they reached their peaks.

"Dai-ki...Close"

"Go ahead, baby...fuck I'm right behind you"

Kise spilled first over their abdomens, shuddering. Aomine followed gripping Kise's hips tightly, jerking until there was nothing left. Kise slumped forward while they caught their breaths. After a few minutes Aomine lifted him slightly, slipping out and removing the condom. He tossed it somewhere next to him, with a fleeting thought of cleaning it up in the morning.

Kise let out a satisfied groan as he stretched out—relishing in the pleasant ache left behind. He locked eyes with Aomine and smiled. "We should probably move upstairs. Can you stay the night?"

"I can stay a lot longer than that." Aomine replied with the utmost seriousness.

"Daiki..." Kise sighed, dropping his eyes as he pulled away.

They'd been through this before. Whatever this was it couldn't go any further than what it was. Aomine knew that but he wasn't going to give up that easily. He was gonna make Kise his, permanently.

one way or another


	5. Day 5 - Flowers

There wasn't much going on at this time of night. Mostly everyone had gone home for the night, except the officer unfortunate enough to cover the late or overnight shits. Aomine almost wished he was on one of those, but he knew he couldn't put off going home any further. After double checking over the forms he just completed, Aomine set his pen down and stretched—groaning in satisfaction.

Pulling on his jacket and gathering his things, he glanced at the clock while heading out the door.

"Tch" If he didn't hurry he'd miss the last train home. Fourty-five minutes later, Aomine found himself standing outside of his building, glancing up to where his apartment should be.

'_All the lights off huh._' Aomine let out a sigh, '_He must still be upset_.'

Normally if Aomine worked a late shift his boyfriend would leave a small light on for him. He stepped into the darkened apartment, slipping out of his shoes and calling out a soft greeting. He stopped by the kitchen first, turning on the light. His eyes were drawn to the trash bin where some flower stems were sticking out. Most likely from the bouquet Aomine had ordered and sent for him this morning.

He went to the fridge to find something to eat, surprised to find a plate wrapped and waiting to be re-heated. It brought a smile to his face, at least Kise was considerate enough to not leave him starving.

Once he reached his room he wondered what he should do. He took a breath and opened the door, glancing at the bed. Kise was already there sleeping, so Aomine went to the bathroom to take a bath and change. Thirty minutes later he emerged and looked at the bed before climbing in.

He wrapped his arms around Kise and pressed close behind him. He felt Kise tense, signaling that he woke up. "I'm Sorry"

He hated arguing with Kise, hated when the blond was upset with him. He held Kise for a while until he felt the blond shift in his arms. Instead of leaving the bed like Aomine expected, Kise rolled over to face him. His face was set in a frown and his eyes were slightly puffy.

"I really am sorry." he repeated, placing a kiss on Kise's forehead.

Those amber eyes seemed to stare at him for an eternity, before Kise let out a sigh. "I guess Ahomine will always be Ahomine."

"I guess I deserve that."

"Mmmhmmm. You can make it up to me later."

Kise snuggled into his chest and they both fell asleep soon after.

In the morning Aomine could hear sounds from the kitchen. '_He must be making breakfast_'

Aomine got up to get ready. On the dresser he noticed a magazine covered by other things. Picking it up, he flipped to the source of their latest arguments.

It was a photo spread of his boyfriend wearing nothing except flower petals covering his most intimate parts. This was the first time Kise had ever done anything close to a nude shoot. The thought of others seeing his boyfriend in a way that was normally reserved just for him sent Aomine into a rage. Aomine felt that Kise should've gotten his permission first, but Kise argued that they were both grown adults, partners, and Kise didn't need Aomine's permission to do his job.

That night Aomine slept on the couch and went to work the following morning without a following word. Kise came into the room to inform him that breakfast was ready. When he saw Aomine with the magazine in his hands he paused, fearing another confrontation.

Aomine threw a smile over his shoulder, "I have to admit, this is a really hot picture."

Kise dropped his tense shoulders, walking over and throwing his arms around Aomine. "I'm sorry baby. About this and about the flowers, they were beautiful."

Aomine wrapped his arms around Kise as well. "No you were right. We're partners, and you shouldn't be treated as anything less."

Kise pulled Aomine down for a kiss, pouring every ounce of love that he could for this man.

"wow" Aomine stated when he pulled away.

"How much time do you have?" Kise asked as his hands went to undo Aomine's belt buckle.

"Um a-about fifteen minutes."

A wicked smile spread across Kise's lips. "That's plenty" He stated, dropping down to his knees.

Aomine really lucked out on this one. Really lucked out. Sure they won't perfect—hell they had an argument over flowers of all things. But hell he did love this man—and he'd do anything for him.


	6. Day 6 - Summertime

Kise woke up sweating, and it wasn't a good kind of sweat. He was barely wearing anything, only a pair of shorts—even that felt like too many layers. He felt sticky and wanted nothing more than a nice cool shower, yet he didn't want to move. He laid with his eyes closed, listening to the sounds of animals running around, and children playing outside. In the corner of the room he felt the breeze of a fan blowing in the room, but it did little to decrease the heat.

"Oi! Just how long are you gonna lay around for." Kise turned his head in the direction of his boyfriend's voice. "Aominecchi it's too hot. Revive me when it's cooler." Aomine walked over to his boyfriend, and sat behind him—lifting the blond's head into his lap.

"You're the one who agreed to come here."

Initially Kise thought going to his boyfriend's summer home with him and his family was an awesome idea. What a better way to prove to their families, just how serious they were about one another. He hadn't prepared himself enough for the heat, the humidity, or the…bugs. He shuddered at the thought.

"C'mon your highness. Everyone is already up and about. Let's go."

Kise puffed his cheeks. "Fine jerk. Let me shower first."

After Kise was showered and dressed, Aomine got him some food and took him outside for a walk. Kise had to admit that it was fun. His boyfriend took him to the places he used to play at as a kid with his cousins. They stopped by this tiny convenience store to get some popsicles, before Aomine took him to this secluded place by some water to help cool them off.

They sat in silence for the most part, taking the time to enjoy their treats. Aomine finished his first and just sat watching his boyfriend eat contently. His eyes locked on to a droplet of blue juice, making its way down from Kise's lips to this chin. Aomine couldn't help his self as he leaned over to lick it up.

"Aominecchi!"

He licked his lips enjoying the taste of the blond's skin mixed in with the popsicles taste.

"Don't even think about it!"

A wicked smile crossed his lip before he leant over and kissed Kise. Licking, biting, and sucking his lips. Kise moaned with Aomine slipped his tongue into his mouth. His mouth was cold and sweet, like the popsicles they were consuming. While Aomine kept his mouth busy, the rest of Kise's popsicle melted all over his hand.

Aomine brought those fingers to his mouth, licking and sucking them dry. Kise could feel himself getting excited, and couldn't help but notice that Aomine was feeling the same way.

"Ao-Aominecchi, w-wait. Are we really going to do this here?!"

"Why not. It's secluded enough"

Kise looked around nervously. Aomine gently took him by the chin and turned those amber eyes back towards him. "I promise we won't get caught."

When Kise nodded his content, Aomine pulled down both of their shorts to expose their erections. He Pulled into to his lap, having the blond straddling his waist. He spit in his hand—grabbing both of their cocks and rubbing them together. They moaned at the contact and the friction. When Aomine started moving his hands Kise started grinding his hips into the motions.

They started off slowly, both taking their time to enjoy the feel of one another. The closer they became to reaching their peaks the faster their pace escalated. Their impromptu session didn't last long. They had been holding back, not wanting to take the chance at getting caught by Aomine's family.

"Aominecchi close! So c-close."

Aomine's grip became a little tighter. He leaned in licking and biting at Kise's ear—one of Kise's pleasure spots. When Kise felt Aomine bite down on his earring it set him off. Aomine himself was on the edge. He was almost there he just needed a little push.

Kise had slumped against his boyfriend, panting and out of breath. He started licking and biting at his boyfriends throat, kissing his way up to Aomine's ear to whisper "Daiki." That did it. With a grown Aomine spilled over his hand and leaned against Kise to recapture his breathing.

They stayed like that for a moments, just enjoying the feeling of one another.

"We should probably head back and shower before dinner"Aomine suggested.

"Nnn now I'm even hotter though. Carry me back Aominecchi."

"No way." He groaned.

"Then I'm not moving," Kise huffed placing as much weight on Aomine as he could.

"Kise"

"….."

"Ryouta"

"…"

He was not going to give in. He refused. But then his stomach started growling and he remembers that they were grilling teriyaki burgers for dinner. Something he absolutely refused to skip just to prove a point.

"Fine fine."

Kise jumped to his feet, tucking himself back into his pants and adjusting his clothes.

"Let's go then I'm starving."

Aomine shook his head in disbelief. But got up and fixed himself anyway. He crouched down, grunting when the blond jumped onto his back.

"You so owe me for this."

Kise hummed contently "whatever you want baby" he agreed, kissing his ear.

As the sky began to darken, Kise was reminded of a song he heard before, describing summer love and summer nights. As cheesy as it sounded he just couldn't help but start to feel closer to his boyfriend than he had before taking this trip.

"You didn't fall asleep on me did you?"

"Naw I'm…just thinking"

"Mmmmmm"

"Aominecchi"

"hmm"

"Thanks for inviting me. I'm really glad I'm here."

"Anytime baby, anytime"


	7. Day 7 - AU The Yellow Current

As a child Aomine used to live in this small town that was right off the ocean. There was a huge beach right near his house that he loved to play along with his friends. Outside of playing basketball, his most favorite place to visit was this aquarium located at the opposite end of the beach. During the summer months, admission into the aquarium was cheaper for young children. As a way to keep their active son busy, Aomine's parents would take him every week.

There were so many exhibits, but by far his favorite exhibit would be the ones with the crawfish. He liked these ones a lot more than the ones at the fish market, because those ones always happened to be asleep when he went with his mother. He would've spent the whole day at the exhibit, if he weren't banned from time to time for trying to set them free every month.

But like all things, eventually he'd grow out of them. As he got older the excitement Aomine once had for the place dwindled.

One afternoon after basketball practice, he noticed some of his teammates talking excitedly over a piece of paper one was holding. Letting his curiosity get the best of him, he went over to see what the fuss was about.

"Yo Aomine did you hear?! Apparently one of those old kooks down at the fishing dock caught a real live mermaid."

"Wha?!"

"Yeah and apparently they sold it to the aquarium, and is gonna be featured in an exhibit opening this weekend"

Aomine took the paper, which turned out to be a flyer, to see for himself. It described the new exhibit opening, but didn't even show a picture of this so called mermaid. The silhouette could've easily been photoshopped.

He scoffed while handing back the paper "It's obviously a gimmick. I don't know why you'd want to waste your time and money."

He turned around and headed back to his locker to gather his things.

"C'mon man, like you have anything better to do"

He stopped in the doorway, thinking it over for a moment. "Fine, whatever."

'_but only to prove you all wrong_'

The curse of living in a small town, besides not having much to do, was that any new news was big news—and news around here traveled really fast.

By the time he met up with his teammates the lines were still unreasonably long. Almost as if the whole town had shown up to see this so called "mermaid". Once they finally made it inside they opted out of heading straight towards the exhibit, until the large mob that had formed in that area had dwindled.

It wasn't until sometime in the afternoon that the crowd had finally thinned enough. Throughout the day though, there seemed to be nothing but disappointed faces and customers, as the so call mermaid had continued to be a no show. Aomine wasn't surprised and was ready to go hours ago, but his teammates still insisted that they see for themselves.

That's how Aomine found himself, utterly bored, standing in front of a huge plane of glass. On the other side were different kinds of rock formations, fish, fish, and more fish—no mermaid.

'_I want to go home_' he thought to himself. Idly he reached into the backpack he was wearing and pulled out his basketball. If he was gonna waste his whole day staring at some fish, he was definitely going to get in a couple of games to salvage his day.

As Aomine begun to spin the ball on his finger, he turned towards his teammates with the intention to tell them that he had enough of this. Out the corner of his eye something very bright, very yellow caught his eye. When he turned, what he saw caused eyes to open wide, mouth open in shock—his reflexes the only thing stopping him from completely dropping (and possibly losing ) his basketball.

But who wouldn't be surprised to see a boy, around his age, with hair that golden and eyes that golden. Especially when this boy was floating in the water, practically naked, until you get to his waist. But instead of what you'd think you'd expect, the boys skin blended into scales that lead to a giant flipper where his feet should be.

Aomine didn't move, didn't make any noise. He just found himself standing there staring, as the blond stared back at him—or more accurately at his hands.

Looking back and forth between the boy and his ball, Aomine hesitantly moved it to the left. When amber eyes followed he moved it back to the right, then up and down, every direction he could think until he hid it behind him out of sight. With the basketball not in front of him anymore, those amber eyes locked onto Aomine's blue.

"D-dude" one of his teammates whispered. Aomine wanted to shush him, but it was already too late. As if some kind of spell had been broken, suddenly a huge group of people swarmed the tank to get a closer look. The sudden rush of people frightened the blond that in a blink he dashed away out of sight.

And though so many tried, he wasn't seen for the rest of the night.

On their way back to their respective homes, his teammates would not shut up about the 'real live mermaid' and 'what are the chances of something like this happening in their small little town'. Although he had seen it with his own eyes, Aomine still remained skeptical, convinced that it had to be some sort of hoax—'a person in some kind of suit', 'who could hold their breath for a long time', and was 'obviously some Olympic swimming foreigner'.

While the others refused to see his side of things, Aomine swore that he would get the proof. On the way home he thought of a plan to break into the aquarium when it's closed. He'd sneak into the exhibit and search for a place where someone could easily enter and escape the tank unseen, and maybe that costume tail if he was lucky.

When it was dark enough, and he was sure everyone was asleep, Aomine snuck out of his home and made his way towards the aquarium. He was grateful for the fact that he spent so much time here as a child, that he was easily able to remember to how to get in past security unseen.

It was hard to tell where he was going in the dark, but thankfully some of the tanks had lights built into them, so he was at least able to get going in the right direction. After a while he was able to find the right tank. It was eerie being the only one standing in such a long hall—but he didn't have time to dawdle.

Aomine searched and searched for anything that could be of use to him, but to his disappointment he found nothing. He closed his eyes, nearly sinking to the floor.

'_what am I trying so hard for_' he thought. It was late, and he was tired, and had no real reason to be there other than he didn't like losing. He just didn't lose, and being proved wrong was the same as being beaten.

'_that's it I'm going home_'

Aomine straightened up, dusted off his clothes and looked straight ahead.

He found himself face to face with golden hair and amber eyes once more.

'_this can't be possible_' he thinks, '_there's no way this is real_'

Yet Aomine knew there wouldn't be a reason for someone to give a show this late at night when the aquarium was closed.

Taking a breath Aomine stepped closer to the glass laying a hand against it unconsciously. He watched as the mermaid backed away slightly, amber eyes narrowing. He jerked from side to side before eventually stilling.

Aomine watched as the blond hesitantly swam forward. Aomine watched as the boy before him curiously studied his hand. He looked back and forth between Aomine's and his own, bringing his hand up and placing it right where Aomine's hand lay on the opposite side of the glass.

Neither one of them moved, neither seemed to know what to do. They both just stared at each other, studying the other intently.

Aomine was so fixated on observing the sight in front of him that he ignored everything else that was going on around him. It wasn't until he heard a voice call out "Who's down there" that he jolted in surprise. He turned his head down the hall to see a guard standing there, flashlight in hand pointed in his direction. With a curse and a glance at the empty space in front of him, Aomine turned and ran.

About a month had passed since that night. Aomine had found himself going back to the aquarium multiple times a week. He would often just stand by the tank, hoping to spend time with Kise. He had decided to name the mermaid Kise after his exhibits name "The Yellow Current". Occasionally when there wasn't a big crowd Kise would come out of hiding to stare at him or play with the fishes and turtles he shared the tank with.

Kise would often come close to the glass when there were kids around. He didn't sense much hostility from children, and enjoyed it when they would press against the glass and make faces at him. Kise saw it as a game and would often copy them, to the children's enjoyment.

The more he kept coming, the more Kise got used to him. Aomine often found himself breaking into the aquarium more and more—nearly getting caught multiple times. Security had tightened for a while, but as the mermaid fad started to wear down, the easier it became for Aomine to visit him. He even found himself skipping basketball practices to do so—not that he needed the practice, he was the best after all.

He was so enraptured and he didn't understand why—especially with what he used to think before he met the blond. He would even go as far as to hold conversations with Kise, even though he knew that Kise couldn't communicate back. During his nightly visits Aomine would always bring a basketball. Kise would always be more enthusiastic when he spotted the orange globe.

Although it would never happen Aomine couldn't help but think

'_Someday I'll have to teach you how to play'_

About six months later Aomine notices a change in Kise. He has become more lethargic, acting outside of his normal behavior. Even the sight of a basketball does little to break him out of his moods. Growing up in a sea town, Aomine has noticed this behavior before with other fish. After being kept in captivity for so long, when they wish for nothing more than to be free.

Aomine wanted nothing more than to free him…but how…

In his pocket, he felt a vibration from his phone, signaling his time was up. He stood up and tapped on the glass to get Kise's attention.

"I can't stay long tonight. So I gotta get going." He had entrance exams this week and needed to study. As much as he would love to blow them off, he needed to pass if he wanted to get into a good enough school and get out this small town. Though he often found himself having second thoughts about leaving when it meant leaving Kise here alone.

He closed his eyes, brows furrowing and leaned his forehead against the glass.

"I'll comeback one day, and I will get you out of here."

He was sure that Kise couldn't understand his words, but when he opened his eyes to find Kise positioned the same way on the opposite side of the glass, he thought that maybe, just maybe he somehow got his feelings across.

Although he could've just been playing again. Aomine wasn't quite sure how to react when the blond placed his lips against the glass, as if he were trying to give him a kiss.

_'He must've picked it up from some kids'_

A loud bang vibrated the glass, and he looked up to see Kise slightly pouting with his arms crossed—tail twitching in agitation. Aomine learned that he often did this when he was upset that Aomine wouldn't join in on his games.

Aomine's eyebrow twitched in agitation '_This brat'_

"Tch, fine"

Aomine could feel his face beginning to heat up as he leaned forward and pressed his lips against the glass. He kept his gaze upon Kise, watching as his pout changed into a smile. Kise moved so that his face was roughly in front of Aomines, eyes locked on to the others. As Kise pressed his lips against the glass, Aomine for a split second, wandered what it would feel like without the glass in way.

Satisfied, Kise backed away first, and with a smile and flick of his tail, he swam away.

That was the last time Aomine ever saw him.

The day of his last exam, instead of celebrating with everyone else, Aomine chose to go to the aquarium to see Kise. Though he wouldn't admit it out loud, he missed the blond after not being able to see him for a week.

When we arrived though the aquarium was closed. Normally it wouldn't have been an issue, he was used to sneaking in after closing time. But it was still morning, and the yellow tape across the doors filled Aomine with a sense of dread.

He found an employee and demanded to know what happened, but no one would tell him anything. Frustrated he tried finding some way to get in, but everywhere he went the area was blocked off, or there was someone standing guard.

Once he made his way back towards the entrance, he found an empty space near the entrance and sat down. The feeling he had just wouldn't go away, he needed to get inside, to see Kise with his own eyes.

"You're that kid aren't you."

Aomine's head snapped up to see a security guard standing in front of him.

"Huh?"

"The kid that's always sneaking in here after hours. It's you right"

Aomine dropped his eyes and didn't say anything.

"I thought as much."

Aomine didn't know what to do. He didn't understand why the man approached him now of all times—especially when they apparently knew what he'd been doing this whole time.

"What I'm about to tell you doesn't leave this place. Until the investigation is finalized, no word of what happened can get out. Understand?"

Aomine snapped his head up, heart pounding, blood rushing through his ears. He took a breath and nodded.

What he heard made Aomine feel a torrent of emotions. At first he was distraught then he became outraged, and finally overwhelmed with guilt. Someone had broken into the aquarium and absolutely trashed the entire place—graffiti on the walls, tanks smashed, and exhibits poisoned. Kise's was one of those exhibits. From the level of toxicity in the water, nothing could've survived.

He couldn't believe that Kise was gone. He couldn't fathom how anyone would purposely cause of the death of so many living things. The officer told him that the culprit had been a former employee. Someone who had become unstable, believing that it'd be better for these creatures to die instead of being held captive.

Aomine couldn't help but feel partly to blame for the events that occurred. He knew how easy it was to break in. Security had been lax, they could have easily assumed it was Aomine that had broken in. If he hadn't snuck in so many times, maybe security would've been tighter, maybe they could've caught the guy sooner, before so many things were destroyed, before he got to…

no. He couldn't think like that. For the amount of poison found in the water, it had to have been done a little over time.

That could've easily explained Kise's lethargic state over the last few times he saw him.

As Aomine reached home, he locked himself in his room for the rest of the night. He fell asleep that night wishing to wake up and find that this was all a dream.

'_I promised him, I promised him_.'

When the fall came around Aomine moved away to Tokyo to start University. He wanted to move as far away from that town and the bad memories associated with it. When Aomine thought about his future, he always thought he would go pro and play basketball. Going through that experience changed some things for him, made him think of possibilities he wouldn't have considered otherwise.

That's how he found himself in a basic biology class, with the intent of obtaining a degree in Marine Biology. He wasn't quite sure what he would do with it yet, but he felt that this was the direction he needed to go in.

"Excuse me is this seat taken?" A voice next to him asked.

Aomine shook his head, "No it's—"

The words caught in his throat. '_K-KISE_?!'

His mouth dropped opened but no sound came out. He wanted to blink eyes, to make sure he wasn't dreaming. At the same time he was afraid that it may be a dream, and that the blond would disappear from him once again.

"Is there something on my face? You're kinda staring." The blond answered, pulling out the chair and sitting down.

Aomine finally blinked and cleared his throat, turning to face the front of the class. "Ah no…you just look really familiar."

"Ehhh. I get that a lot actually." he laughed. "I model a bit if that helps."

"That must be it"

They fell into an awkward silence. Aomine side glanced the blond as he took out materials to take notes with. Aomine figured he'd should do the same and started grabbing things out of his duffel. Although he wasn't pursuing basketball as a career, he still decided to keep up with the sport by joining the Universalities' team.

"You play Basketball?!" He looked up, eyes locking with enthusiastic amber ones.

"Uh, yeah. For the school." he replied, one hand idly scratching the back of his head.

"That's so cool! I've always wanted to learn." The blonds smile dropped a bit. "Between school and modeling I've never had the opportunity or time for much else."

"Maybe I could teach you sometime." Aomine offered, 'wait _what the hell am I saying_'

"Really?!" The blond's smile lit up tenfold. "That would be great?!"

Just then the teacher walked into the room signaling the start of the class. They both quieted and turned their attention to the front of the room. The last thing they needed was to get in trouble their first day of class.

Aomine felt a poke in his arm, he turned slightly to see the blond staring at him, hand extended towards him. "I'm Kise by the way. Kise Ryouta."

At the name Aomine felt a weird sensation in his chest. After everything that happened he felt odd about this whole situation. But if by far this was some weird second chance that he was given. Well he wasn't going to let Kise slip away from him so easily this time.

He reached over and took Kise's hand into his own with a firm grip. "Aomine, Aomine Daiki."

"Please take care of me"


End file.
